Mixed Media Art Journal Page with Collage Fodder

Hello lovelies!

Today I'm sharing a beginner-friendly art journal page with handmade collage, stencils and stamping plus using one of my ready made collage clusters as a focal point. In the picture below you can see a small selection. These are really fun to make plus you have the added bonus of using up those tiny paper scraps.

I've decided to create this page in my large square journal and I have taped off the edges, as I wanted my finished work to have crisp edges. 

Step One

I started by randomly stencilling a dot pattern and then proceeded to tear up some papers, mostly my handmade gelli prints and some old book pages and sheet music. I always like adding the latter, because the musical notes carry their own unique pattern. I adhered them with gel medium and brushed on a thin layer on top not only to seal the papers, but to prepare them for additional layers.

Step Two

While the collage itself looks pretty, I wanted it to "melt" into the background and unify the pieces. The best way to do this is to either brush on a layer of white gesso or in my case I used acrylic paint in titan buff and a brayer. 

Step Three

Once the paint has dried completely I played with some crayons that matched the collage colors and also added some stamping with black ink.

Scroll down to watch the full video tutorial.

Step Four

Finally, I removed the tape and grabbed some of my collage clusters. I wanted to try out different sizes and shapes before committing to one. 

I went with the bird cluster, as I felt the colors harmonized well with the background. I also added a little sentiment. Thank you for stopping by today. I hope you enjoyed this simple collage work and if you watch the video, please kindly give it a thumbs up ♥

Click to watch the YouTube tutorial:

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Colorful Mixed Media Play in my Art Journal

Hello there lovelies!

I did it again - I was so absorbed in creating these two art spreads, that I completely forgot to take process photos with my camera, even though my camera was sitting on my work table! Luckily, I filmed one of the spreads. Scroll down to view the full video.

I enjoy making these kinds of mixed media spreads, as I get to utilize all types of materials and layer them creatively. This adds texture, interest and depth to the artwork. Some time ago I typed a whole bunch of quotes, words and expressions on my computer and printed it out. I now have titles ready for use. I simply cut them out and sometimes I color them in, as I did with these two spreads.

Since I'm working in my A6 journal (I have several of these), it didn't take long to complete the pages. A lovely way to wind down after a busy day and also part of my self-care routine. This is a beginner-friendly project. I love sharing - you can find the video tutorial below.

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Art Journal Spread with handmade Collage Fodder

Hello artsy friends!

On most days I like to make some art, even if it's just 20 minutes of enjoyable art play in my handmade junk journal. One such session resulted in this colorful and messy page! The papers in my junk journal already have some color on them, so this gave me a nice starting point to create a background. I did some mark making with my creamy crayons and added a few bits of collage. I stamped my text stamp in a few places for interest and texture. As a finishing touch I adhered some colorful leaves as a focal point on each page as well as a title.

Here's a step-by-step:

Step 1 - There were already some blue marks on the pages, so I spread some more blue - a bright sky blue - on both pages. 

Step 2 - I used my fingers to spread the color on the pages to get a unique "messy" look.

Step 3 - Next, I added acrylic ink in burnt sienna and used a small brayer to spread it around.

Step 4 - I spread some more ink around - in bright pink. I also grabbed my creamy crayons and made some random marks. Colors used: black, light orange.

Step 5 - I grabbed some paper scraps and collaged them in some areas on the spread.

Step 6 - using my text stamp to make marks in some areas for interest.

If you would like to know how I made this junk journal, check out this video:

Finishing touches: I glued down colorful leaves and a title to each page.

The point of this mixed media art play is not to create a masterpiece. It's to simply enjoy putting down colors, making random marks, using your favorite tools - yes even your fingers - and since it's done in a junk journal there's no need to be precious about it. Just make art the way that pleases you. I guarantee you will feel re-energized afterwards :)

Here's a quick video on how I made my collage fodder:

I hope you enjoyed this post. Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

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Pretty Spring Flowers Mixed Media Page

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Hi lovelies! 

A year ago I decided to create a YouTube art channel, which was a big step for me, as I had never before considered doing art videos. In fact, I had never made any video before, apart from one or two personal travel videos! Suffice to say, it was a very steep learning curve :) I had a few hiccups at the start, as my audio wasn't up to standard, but I later invested in a better microphone, and I do believe the sound has improved since. My goal from the beginning was to create fun videos in under 10 minutes. I'm well aware that most people are simply too busy to watch hour-long tutorials. I also wanted my tutorials to be beginner-friendly and to encourage people of all ages to explore art making, specifically mixed media art journaling. If you have watched any of my videos you'll have noticed that the general tone is quite relaxed. Above all, there is no pressure to create a "masterpiece". It's more about the process, the playing with paints and tools and exploring different styles etc. You can check out my blog post on mixed media supplies here. 

In honor of my one-year-anniversary I made this Spring-inspired tutorial featuring cherry blossoms.

I taped off the edges for a clean look and added stamping in some areas with my silicone text stamp and black ink. 

In a somewhat messy manner I brushed on a layer of light and candy pink acrylic paint. 

After this has dried I applied watered-down green acrylic ink with a brayer making a curved motion. I simply let the paint flow without touching it and letting it dry completely, before adding stencilling on top. 

I had prepared my flowers in advance, by stamping the images on a sheet of white drawing paper. I colored those in with watersoluble crayons and spread the color around with a small round brush. Once those have dried I carefully cut them out.

 

I arranged all the pieces on the page to my liking and then simply adhered them with a glue stick. I also added a little sentiment to the page. The entire process can be watched here:

Tutorial: Colorful flower collage fodder

Hi everybody!

I like to make batches of floral paper embellishments - also known as collage fodder - for future mixed media projects, card making or junk journaling. 

To make these you'll need acrylic paints in the colors of your choice, a couple of text stamps, crayons and your favorite floral and leaf stamps. The process is quite simple! You can watch the whole video here:

If you're watching on YouTube, do give me a "thumbs up" - this will help my video reach more people to enjoy it. And if you have any questions you can ask them in the comment section or here. I read and appreciate every comment :) 

Have a beautiful day, wherever you may be 🌺🍃🌸